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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has advised Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland in Abeokuta, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, not to listen to bad advice and intrigues to disunite other monarchs in Egbaland, saying it is high time all Obas in the land unite for socio-economic development of Ogun State.
BusinessDay reports that Egbaland, which consists of Abeokuta, state capital and Ogun Central Senatorial District, has been involved in royal bickering among the four major Obas in the city, namely, Alake, Osile, Agura and Owu sections of the city, and the bickering predates the coming on board of Agura of Gbagura for which former President Obasanjo and former Governor Ibikunle Amosun had tried all efforts to settle in recent past.
Obasanjo, who is a high chief – Ekerin and Oluwo in Egba and Gbagura in Abeokuta, respectively, wanted all monarchs in the state capital to steer clear of an aged-long bickering and rivalry among Obas as prolong bickering could never bring peace nor development to Egbaland, the state and Nigeria as a whole.
The former president, being a son of the soil and father of the day at the coronation ceremony of Oba Saburee Babajide Bakre, Jamolu II, ninth Agura of Gbaguraland on Sunday at Oke-Iddo in Abeokuta, admonished the new monarch not to join old issues with Alake and other Obas in the land.
He asked Agura of Gbagura, being the new monarch with a quality exposure as retired senior officer of Nigeria Customs Service, to deploy his wealth of experience to further unite Obas in the land as peace and unity were mostly needed in the country at this trying period.
He said, “Alake, I am happy that you are here because when you ascended the throne, the first speech you gave then was encouraging and appealing, but, you later listened to (bad) advisers.
“Don’t listen to bad advisers on Agura, ensure that everyone comes together so that they can be development in Egbaland. All of you should work together to achieve development. You all nerd to support government for socio-economic development. You must all join hands together to ensure community development because your support will help government to develop the state.”
He also warned the newly installed Oba to work tirelessly and assiduously to move Gbagura and Egbaland forward in the comity of towns and cities in the state, saying: “I congratulate you for the success of today, you will be long on the throne and your reign will be the beginning of new things in Gbaguraland.
“Kabiyesi, you have a lot of work to do in Gbaguraland and Abeokuta as a whole. Our traditional rulers are not united and you do not have bad baggage because as you are coming, your hands are pure, you must ensure that everything about you is pure.
“Kabiyesi, don’t let anybody tell you that they don’t do it this way, if you want to ensure that your reign brings peace and development to Gbagura, you may have to act out of the box.
“When I and Muritala were doing it then, we told Queen of England that she could not come to Nigeria. My father cannot confront Queen, but, because the world has changed that is why I was able to tell her not to come and she did not come.
“You will be the king in the day and night and follow all the customs that surround the throne”, the former president concluded.
Meanwhile, the newly installed Agura of Gbagura, who addressed a mammoth of guests and crowd, including Noimot Salako-Oyedele, Deputy Governor of Ogun state; Olukunle Oluomo and Tunji Egbetokun, Speaker and former Speaker of Ogun state respectively; Sinatu Ojikutu, former Governor of Lagos state, among others, pledged to work hand in hand with the State government and other monarchs in Egbaland and Ogun state at large.
